My Budget Store Shopping

At the end of the day we are all trying to save money on our bills at the moment. It’s hard enough paying the heating bills, never mind feeding a family and so I, the same as all my friends, am always looking for good alternatives. We all want to feed the family with nice food and yet it can become harder and harder to do so on a budget. The best way I have found of saving money is to shop in more than one store. Okay, so I know it takes longer to do but it really is well worth it when I realise just how much money I’m saving.

I’m lucky enough to have an Aldi, Heron and Morrisons quite close to me and am pleased to discover that since Aldi opened that Morrisons have been forced to reduce their prices. I now manage to save an average of £40 per week by taking the time to shop around. I go first to Herons because you will always find some absolute bargains in the end of the fridge aisle. For example, this week I bought a 4-pack of Weight Watchers Greek style lemon flavour fromage frais for 50p and they are currently on ‘special’ in Tesco at £2.00, although their proper price is £2.49! Heron’s food is always in date so if you find a bargain, buy as much as you have room for and freeze it as I find that the only problem with the bargains there is that they are literally ‘here one minute and gone the next’.

One of the other things to take a look at in there is the cost of the household cleaners and black bags etc. because although we all need these things, (although unfortunately we can’t eat them!) they can add a considerable amount to the shopping bill.

From Herons I then go to Aldi where you can always find a bargain in fresh fruit and veg in their ‘super 6,’ which are items on special usually at 69p. I buy as much as I can of things like carrots, celery and onions and then spend an afternoon peeling and chopping and then freezing them mixed together in bags. This means that I always have a savoury base ready for cooking stews, Bolognese and casseroles etc. not only does this save time, it also saves a lot of money on constantly needing to buy fresh veg.

When I’ve finished the Aldi shop I go to Morrisons as a last resort for anything I haven’t been able to get elsewhere, and even then I try and limit myself to the ends of the aisles as that where their specials are on offer. If I have the money I stock up on things like shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste which means I am getting the brands I like at good prices. These kinds of things don’t go off, so I keep them in a plastic storage container under the bed so they are handily close to the bathroom for when needed.

It is possible to save on your shopping as long as you have the time and patience to shop around; look at it as free exercise too, which is particularly useful if you are trying to lose weight as well!